Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 30, 2007 
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In a truly bizarre game, the Yankees found a way to lose to the Blue Jays last night.
Roger Clemens is set for Monday. This notebook also has news on Jason Giambi.
Over at Shea Stadium, Armando Benitez was blowing games again. Only this time the Mets were the winners. Kevin Devaney has the story.
We had the A team out there at Shea. Rick Carpiniello has a good column on Barry Bonds. Carp says the faster Bonds breaks the record, the faster we can forget about him. Amen to that.
That Bonds article is a great piece of writing. It’s true that most fans around today won’t celebrate or accept Bonds’ HR record, but what about younger fans 20, 30 years from now? The steroids scandal won’t be fresh on their minds, and they’ll appreciate Bonds for the player he was. Hopefully, though, like Carpiniello says, someone else (ARod?) would have broken Bonds’ mark by then.
Hey Peter,
I am in the doldrums with this team and am looking for good things to look forward to. Soooooooo….
Completely off topic: are you as excited as I am for the new Paul McCartney record next week? Heard some cuts, very good, kind of fresh with an early Wings flavor.
Hey Michael in Chicago –
So far I’ve heard only the one cut from the new CD, but I can’t wait to rush out and buy my copy. I’m a huge McCartney fan and have been for almost my entire life!
I got to see him perform live at the Meadowlands several years ago. It was transforming — I felt like a kid, he sang like a kid. I guess he’s going to tour with the new CD?
The New A-Rod
From Sam Donnellon of Philly News
http://www.philly.com/dailynew.....22057.html
“Be right back,” he said, and given his past good relations with the media, there was no reason to doubt him.
He returned 40 minutes later, but this time with an iPod in his ears, trying to pretend the three men standing in the same spot had disappeared. At one point, a clubhouse helper held the iPod while he dressed, and the iPod remained in his ears for the next 3 1/2 hours as the Yankees waited out a rain delay that eventually became a cancellation.
Now the man most likely to leapfrog over Barry Bonds as the all-time leader in home runs is often guarded, occasionally hostile, and purposefully unenlightening.
“I’m having as much fun as I can, trying to keep it simple,” he said that day. “And I really don’t give a [bleep] about what most people are thinking or saying.”
Meanwhile Dan Mangan of Ny post writes – AROD HITS A STRIP JOINT WITH TORONTO BABE
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05.....mangan.htm
May 30, 2007 — Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez stepped up to the plate with a mysterious, busty blonde in Toronto, as these intimate, exclusive photos reveal.
The cozy duo dined with two pals at a pricey steakhouse late Sunday night, then headed to a glitzy strip club before making their way to his hotel, where the pair ducked into an elevator and headed upstairs just after midnight.
Cynthia Rodriguez – A-Rod’s wife and mother of their 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Natasha – was nowhere to be seen during the slugger’s big night out on the town, which occurred the evening before the last-place Bronx Bombers’ pathetic 7-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
FLahrety”Give toronto pitchers credit”
“They have good stuff”.
Again, flahrety making excuses. This team will get nowhere with this mentality and its not just the broadcast booth as we all know.. Torre is chirping along to the same tune.
Lets see what torre has to say about the game.. Will it be more of the same “That guy was just dominating and had great stuff” or will he grow a pair of balls and criticize (well deservedly) his batters.
When we started this series, and learning that Halliday an dBurnett werent even going against us, and we cant take these first two games. what a joke.
Pete – you are part of the “A Team” – sory that now you have to cover a team that deserves an F
Igawa pitched poorly in Scranton last night, so it appears our AAA staff of Clippard/Hughes/Desalvo will get every opportunity over him.
I’m going to switch to NASCAR or (I might return to my youth) and take up fishing again. Or maybe I’ll buy one of those “new” hand-powered lawn mowers with the engine. Something to occupy my evenings!
…that would be without the engine. They are coming back, cause you don’t need high-priced gasoline etc.
dr –
When the Yankees were winning, it seemed classy to credit the opposing pitcher, BUT I recall that even when they beat a good pitcher, they would say, well, he had good stuff today, we were fortunate to hit him (or whatever). They are so in the habit of crediting the opposition, and when you’re winning it IS a classy way to go.
However, now they’re crediting mediocre pitchers who are maybe pitching a good game. It would be refreshing to hear, one player, once coach, one somebody, just once, say, he had good stuff, BUT we should have been able to hit him. Or something to that effect. If you keep giving the opponents the credit, elevating their game, how do you ever rise above it? Saying “we’re better than this,” is not the same as saying “we should have hit this guy today,” at least in my mind. The first statement is kind of ethereal, the second is more definitive and puts the responsibility squarely on the offense.
C’mon — they’ve beaten good pitchers before, and consistently. They need to own that.
Well, at least we know why A-Rod has been slumping lately…
I’ll bite, why is A Rod slumping?
JeffNJ – check out the cover of the NY Post.
Peter, I’ve never seen a Mets mention in your blog. Good idea! Bring in some Mets news, so these losers can feel like they belong to a winning part of something good in NY!
I think Roger should pitch in Boston. Does anybody else think so or are you all scared to do that, just like the Yankees brass is?
Why is he getting all that money again? jog my memory. I thought it was to win games against tough teams in First Place, with the best record in baseball and seem to be piling it on. Tavaras is pitching against us this weekend?? Please no!!!! This losing streak will be up to 11 or 12, if not more when we leave Chicago!
Ha! I love the title of the previous poster – “A-Rod’s new girlfriend in Toronto”.
So, remember when stein was all over Jeter for partying too much? Will there be any word this time around?
Let’s not be naive, a lot of men in professional sports are lying dogs to their wives, but this is just being stupid on his part. He knows reporters are going to follow him around.
Bill, I absolutely disagree with you. The fact that the NY Post published that pic and article is absolutely unprofessional and disgusting. There is a line that has never been crossed between the press and ballplayers — and The Post just obliterated that line.
The days of Arod in pinstripes will be over very soon. Arod will now wave his no-trade clause in a New York minute and he is gone…thanks to the NY Post.
… Not to mention the fact that he was stupid enough to cheat on his wife in the first place.
Thanks Al, hadn’t read the Post yet. You know I guess that’s the one thing that was missing from this years soap opera, a player cheating on his wife. Of course we don’t know that’s what happenned or even if his wife and him have an agreement (granted that’s a stretch).
The part that’s amazing is that baseball players are notorious for cheating on their wives, but in the past media would look the other way. Nowadays everyone has a camera at arms length at any time. Combine that with a superstar player picture commanding a big payout and this was inevitable. If Natasha calls it quits, that will be one ginormous settlement.
I understand reporters see things and they don’t say anything or report anything, but this is just The Post being The Post. This wouldn’t have happened if he played for the Devil Rays or Orioles, sure, but A-Rod should realize that, and understand that living and playing in NY, people are going to follow you around to get a story like this one. He’s been treated like a celebrity before (pictures of him at c. park, etc), so why not now? Just because it depicts him in a negative way? Thats bs.
BigAl-
Was it The Post that advised A-Rod to go out with this woman?
No.
This is 100% A-Rod’s fault and no one else’s. Its his responsibility to be faithful to his wife, not the newspapers.
You blaming The Post for this is just not being very smart.
Bill,
I’m not giving Arod a pass here, but this is completely unprofessional reporting.
It took decades for the stories about Mantle and Dimaggio to finally come out. You don’t think the press at that time saw things that were juicy and would have sold alot of papers ? Sure they did, but they adhered to an unwritten rule and kept them quiet.
Arod out in public with a blonde is stupid on his part. The Post reporting it and splashing it on the front page is inexcusable. I bet if you asked 100 ballplayers all 100 would agree. And, as I said, I bet the Yankees will punish The Post for printing it.
How, exactly do you know if he is being “unfaithful”? Because of a photo with no context?
Now, we are going to sit in moral judgment over something we have ZERO facts on.
What a joke.
Not surprising since this is a newspaper that still supports the worst President of our lifetime.
Why ask real questions about important issues (such as the war, high gas prices, etc.) when you can trail ARod and try to get dirt on him.
What a disgrace. This isn’t news on any level. Its just garbage.
Isn’t Natasha his daughter? Cynthia is his wife, I think.
Waswatching had a post from a story about ARod blowing off the media before a rainout, and now he’s got personal attacks from the NY Post… ARod seems destined to be gone after this season the way its going, anyway. If we can get him to waive his no-trade and get something valuable for him at the deadline, all the more power to Cashman.
How about to the Dodgers, for Loney, Billingsley, and Broxton?
just when you think things can’t get worse.
if this is true, arod has just lost half his past and future fortune. i’m sure he’s going to be in a really good mood to focus on baseball. i think the next opt clause will be his wife’s.
we need your help here peter a.
WAKE UP PETER!!! we know you were up late ,but we need facts and info. i’m hoping this woman is just someone who got into an elevator that arod got into. if you think about it why would arod, if he was cheating get into an elevator in a public hotel with the woman?
i’m holding off judgement on this one. either arod is totally delusional and out of touch with reality or the post has made something up.
“How, exactly do you know if he is being “unfaithfulâ€?? Because of a photo with no context?”
exactly sj44, why aren’t there any other photos if they the post was supposedly following the whole thing.
this has to be answered though because of the seriousness of the accusation. no comment is not going to cut it from arod.
Maybe its his sister!
go to aolsportsblog.com they have an explanation about the night. might help you guys out
oy, is this what the blog on our team has come down to? Cr@p stories from the NY Roast? Good grief.
i don’t have the post so i don’t know if its different then what they said but figured might be different
Thanks Doreen, I confused the names, Cynthia would get the ginormous settlement, Natasha gets the lifetime of not trusting men, people dating her for her money and estrangement from her father.
JeffNJ –
You got that right.
I can’t wait to hear from “Porkchop” today. Porkchop how is that Clemens fist banging working for you? Let’s see….the Yankee ship has gone even deeper into the hole since yesterday!
yanks are pathetic . everyday a new way to lose . a-rod adds extra termoil by getting caught with his girlfriend . 210 million dollars for nothing .
The Yankees are entertaining. Not on the field per se, but the drama surrending them never ceases. Big story here is that A Rod will now definitely opt out. If Cash is still here this summer, he will have some serious work to do. Either way, the downward spiral is upon us. I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming, shame on me.
On a purely baseball level, who cares if A-Rod is cheating on his wife? Distraction? Distraction from what? Will this cause the team so much turmoil they go from looking like crap to looking… a little more like crap? No one on that team gives a flying f— if A-Rod is cheating on his wife.
Someone suggested that this story will make A-Rod waive his no-trade clause — GOOD. That would be awesome for this team. They suck unconditionally, so trade A-Rod at the deadline and get something back for him. He’s not returning to this team anyway. Anything you can get for him now is a bonus.
This is the second time there’s been a story about A-Rod in a stripclub. I guess he likes them. It’s good to know that even guys like A-Rod — young, good-looking multimillionaires with athletic talent the common man could only dream about — also like to ogle beautiful women in smoky, dark clubs like the rest of us pathetic intelligent-apes.
“How, exactly do you know if he is being “unfaithfulâ€?? Because of a photo with no context?
Now, we are going to sit in moral judgment over something we have ZERO facts on.
What a joke.
Not surprising since this is a newspaper that still supports the worst President of our lifetime.
Why ask real questions about important issues (such as the war, high gas prices, etc.) when you can trail ARod and try to get dirt on him.
What a disgrace. This isn’t news on any level. Its just garbage.”
Wrong on so many levels. I’m old enough to have lived through many presidents and nobody was worse than Jimmy Carter. The gas lines, being bullied by other countries, ugh. Bush is awful, but his tax policies are much better than Carter’s. The really scary news is that Hillary now says she wants to redistribute the wealth…ugh, again.
As far as Arod goes…he goes out to a strip club with a busty bleach blonde and he doesn’t expect this to get out? Then he takes her up to his hotel room (seperate from the rest of the club, of course) and doesn’t expect this to be news? C’mon, the Post got the pics and printed them, which any paper would do.
What’s interesting is, regardless of what the truth is re: ARod’s off field activities, does Cashman now sit with ARod and Boras and ask them to allow him to take trade offers on him? Has it reached the, “enough is enough” stage for Arod in NY?
What if the Angels or Dodgers make solid offers for him? How can Boras and Arod turn them down knowing either place is his likely destination next year?
If you think about it, Arod may be the only viable trade asset they possess. Unless, of course, they put Hughes on the market, which shouldn’t happen under any circumstances.
I am a big Arod fan. I think he has gotten a bad rap in NY, while other guys, who have produced a helluva lot less than he has, have been given fre passes. However, above all else, I am a fan of the Yankees. Not just one player.
If they can upgrade the team by moving him, I’d certainly explore it if I was Cashman.
This supposed “incident” has nothing to do with it. Its trying to find ways of upgrading the team for the future.
What on earth do articles of politics, things that are in the nations interest to know about have to do with that article about Arod? I’m baffled.
I thought there were more cynics out there – but I guess the fact that People and US Weekly have so many buyers, would tend to indicate that there aren’t.
turmoil . thank you
bush haters are funny . the point of the a-rod photo is its just another distraction .
you know what sucks? the longest yankee win streak this season is three. that happened once. god this sucks.
I do have one question, though. I mean I have a lot of questions, but one that someone may be able to answer for me. Is it unusual for A-Rod to be staying at a hotel other than the one his team is staying at? Do other players stay at different hotels? How the does person in charge of team travel deal with this? Do they get a room for everyone and an individual can go and get another room in another hotel at his own expense?
You see, I don’t like the fact that A-Rod may have cheated on his wife — or any husband for that matter — and I’ll never see the attraction of those strip joints (hah!) — but to me, a red flag is waved, not because he socializes apart of the team, but because he is housed apart from the team. If that’s the norm, I stand corrected, but is it?
Well, in reviewing, I see those were a lot of questions.
So it looks like Clemens first start at Yankee Stadium will be sat 6/9 vs. PIT?
Isn’t it the manager’s job to instill a curfue and keep track of his players at night?
Maybe thats just in the movies, when they are losing they wake up at 6 in the morning for batting practice and not roam the streets.
The NY Post is a tabloid. Anyone who hasn’t realized that yet needs to stop reading comics and playing video games…
I don’t care what any of them do off the field. What they do on it right now is pathetic. Taking 2 of 3 from Boston should’ve given us some momentum to get things going, but 5 straigth losses later, we’re discussing A-Rod’s sex life.
“bush haters are funny . the point of the a-rod photo is its just another distraction”
Back in the 90′s, the Right was consumed with hate for Clinton and conspiricy theories. Now the Left is unhinged with hate for Bush and bizzare 9/11 conspiricy theories, etc. Heck, libs like SJ can even find partisan politics in a picture of Arod cheating on his wife with some blond bimbo!
Joe Kerrigan, The Mole?
[quote][url=http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6862336]http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6862336[/url]
The news: Yankees owner George Steinbrenner singled out GM Brian Cashman for the ongoing struggles of the Yankees, who responded by losing the next four games.
Tracy’s Take: Word is there are those in the organization — the same ones who a year ago convinced Steinbrenner to lay off manager Joe Torre — who are now trying to get him to back off Cashman.
Truth is, however, there is a major division developing in the New York office of Yankees management. Yes, two years ago Cashman won a power struggle with the Tampa brass, getting total control, but all is not well.
Joe Kerrigan, who was a clubhouse mole when he was on the coaching staff in Montreal, Boston and Baltimore, is now filling that role in the Bronx, eroding what had been a strong relationship between Torre and Cashman, according to several close to the Yankee world.
It has led to communication breakdowns between Cashman and Torre, who had worked so well together, and it hasn’t been helped by the return of Joe Girardi to the organization as a broadcaster. Girardi, whom one Yankee confidant says spent as much time upstairs as in the clubhouse when he was a coach two years ago, is now a regular up at the Yankee offices, and has his name being floated as a possible replacement to Torre.
Word of warning for those who think Torre is planning to retire anytime soon. Torre’s associates say he wants to manage the Bombers in at least the first year in the new stadium.
Tracy Ringolsby can be emailed at ringolsbyt@rockymountainnews.com. Ringolsby is in his 32nd year covering Major League Baseball. The 2005 winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, he was inducted last July into the writers wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Currently covering the Rockies for the Rocky Mountain News, Ringolsby also has covered the Angels, Royals, Mariners and Rangers during his career. A native of Cheyenne, Wyo., he currently lives outside of Cheyenne with his wife and four horses.[/quote]
Does anyone know what is a Mole is? So Joe kerrigan is Spy?
SJ44, exactly. Cashman mentioned that last year, he received multiple offers for ARod at the deadline, but he chose to use his no-trade clause as long as this team was still in contention. The way things are going, even a run for the Wild Card seems to be questionable… the best thing we can hope for is that ARod and Boras allow Cashman to move him to another contender. LA is a perfect fit for both organizations and for ARod.
what a weird world we live in! back in the 90′s, the Right hated Clinton. now, the Left hates Bush and libs like SJ can find politics in a picture of Arod cheating on his wife with some blond bimbo.
Its not a major league manager’s job to track his players evening activities. Its not little league. These guys are adults.
Doreen,
Some players have deals that give them suites on the road, or has them staying at specific hotels. For example, Barry Bonds gets two suites on the road. They have to be a certain size. If the team hotel doesn’t have suite of that size, he stays at a hotel that does.
Other players have deals with certain hotel chains and they stay at those hotels.
In the last few years, teams have offered hotel perks (suites at a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons) to free agents they were looking to sign.
Its very different from the old “roommate days”, when each player stayed at the same hotel and had a roommate. That’s not the case anymore.
Its the music business, they call these amenities, “riders” to their performance contracts. In pro sports, these type of perks have grown in popularity in recent years.
should i spent the money to see rocket debut against the sox monday nite? i am in chicago? Or should just go see the cubbies? damn yankees!!!!!! they are killing me…arrrgh. who will stop the bleeding?
For a question like Doreen’s, where is George Costanza, special assistant to the traveling secretary, when you need him?
It is the Managers job to keep him out of trouble and ther is a curfue. Remember the Mets with Sanchez last year in Florida?
Why can’t he stay at the same hotel as everybody else ?
Guys, do we really need to give the Angels a bigger advantage over us than we already have? What will we get in return exactly? Best player in the game for……….? What exactly is fair return for A-Rod? And I don’t want to hear pitching because it’s too fragile to trade the games best position player for any pitcher, including Santana. We’ve seen too many pitching flops in NY to trade an MVP for pitching, period.
**bigger advantage than THEY already have**
forogt that made it bold……
SJ44 –
Thanks for the response. I hadn’t realized that. I absolutely knew it was no longer the 2-guys-share-a-room situation of many years ago, and I knew some players had suites, but I just assumed they’d all be at least at the same hotel.
So, for all we knew, there could have been a couple of Yankees at that hotel, and the Post insinuating that he was “sneaking away” was a little inaccurate? Not that it matters, not that I ever care what’s in that Tabloid except for amusement.
Turn Two –
Ah, George Costanza! I had forgotten that was his job with the Yankees!
besides which, the Angels are playing great baseball. Why would they want to disrupt their team by parting with whatever our cost for A-Rod would be…
You treat guys like adults and hope they are responsible.
Its not like they are going to hang out at their hotels and have bed checks.
We are dealing with adults here, and not kids.
The manager’s job is not to have bed checks for his players. If the manager sees their off field activity affects their play, he can do something about it at that time.
There isn’t a team in MLB that has a “curfew” for its players on the road. Managers aren’t babysitters. That’s not in their job descriptions.
Was there a fight between Joe & Bruney that we don’t know about?
That guy hasn’t given up a run in 10 innings/one month & has a much better chance at getting the K last night.
Chris NY, not the Angels… there are 2 teams in LA. The Dodgers are a perfect fit. They havent had a real 3B on their roster in 2 seasons, and they are flush with positional prospects.
Doreen,
I read another blog (Baseball and Boogie Down Bronx) He goes to a lot of games in Toronto when the Yankees play as he lives in western NY.
Anyway, he was saying last year when he was up there that ARod was staying in a separate hotel to them even then. So I”m not sure what to make of their “sneaking away” take on things, when from what I can tell him staying in another hotel in Toronto isn’t unsual.
OH! My mistake, TurnTwo…… I’m aware there are two teams in LA, just assumed you were talking about the Angels because there have been so many rumors about A-Rod going there, but also because I missed your first post where you specifically mentioned the Dodgers…….
Even still though, A-Rod for prosepects is not something I want to see. Forget about giving up on this season, we’d be giving up on the next several. Who’s our power bat if he’s gone? Giambi’s falling apart, Posada hits HR’s but doesn’t mash… same with Matsui. They’d have to be some pretty damn good “can’t miss” prospects that actually can’t miss (no more drew henson’s please).
Thanks, Angel. I guess it’s just business as usual.
It’s interesting; we all have these pre-conceived notion of what a ballplayers life is like and what the team culture is like. Always fun to find out what reality is, and trying very hard not to be judgmental.
Here’s another question: Are those “perks” considered salary, counting toward what a team spends on its payroll? Or is hidden in some other category for accounting purposes? And from the player’s standpoint, do they count as income? I’m guessing not.
Those are business expenses, not salary. Not hidden there, perfectly legitimate and tax deductible hotel expenses.
and not income to the employee (player). I would guess they never spend anything for those rooms. But even if they get reimbursed like business travelers, still don’t count as income if it’s a direct reimbursement for travel expense.
Thanks, Chris NY. “Hidden” was not a good word choice by me — I didn’t mean to suggest anything illegal being done.
chris ny-
there’s a line crossed with personal behavior that affects playing performance. if this is true with arod, do you really think he could play as well with the consequences of this on his mind ? do you really think arod is that strong emotionally to block it out?
arod needs to address this and quickly. if it’s true ,i see counseling in the man’s future.
Doreen, didn’t mean to imply you were suggesting something illegal.. just saying they don’t even need to find a loop-hole or anything, even the lavish suites would still count as travel expenses as far as I know. But actually, once you into suites in the thousands per night, I’m really not sure if the IRS caps what is an expense or what is income.
Doreen, didn’t mean to imply you were suggesting something illegal.. just saying they don’t even need to find a loop-hole or anything, even the lavish suites would still count as travel expenses as far as I know. But actually, once you into suites in the thousands per night, I’m really not sure if the IRS caps what is an expense or what is income.
Whether or not he’s mentally strong enough to block it out, his personal life is his. He could just as easily be fighting with his wife over how to raise their kid, what school to send her to, etc… Can that affect his play? sure, just like it can affect anyone’s work performance.
If we were to trade every player who had personal issues I doubt we’d have enough to field a team.
The only one he needs to address this with is his wife, if there is in fact anything to address. It’s a tabloid.
And the fact is, now that there’s headlines, I’m sure he already has addressed it with his wife. For all we know, they could have been separated for months and this could be nothing new to her, what the heck do we know…. I personally don’t care UNLESS it affects his play. I should have added that “Jeter-esque” stipulation to my original comment on the matter…
Randy-
I agree with you. Obviously, this is going to affect him as it lingers in his mind… He’ll be dealing with non stop phone calls and arguments with his wife today, this woman, and probably his attorney. Emotionally, he will be drained – and you know what, thats just human nature.
People saying on here we shouldn’t talk about things of this nature aren’t paying attention.
First off, I agree that what these guys do in their own time is their business. I may not like reading about some things, but it’s still not my concern. Produce on the field. Period.
That said, am I the only one who thinks that the Bronx Zoo has returned? This latest flap about ARod, Giambi opening his mouth when he shouldn’t, the whole Pavano saga, Farnsworth’s comments about Clemens’ contract, the ARod/Jeter “rift speculation”, blah blah blah … which leads me to one change harkening back to the late 70′s Yankees that I think would be good – bring back facial hair being allowed. Not that a beard or ‘stache is going to change anything on its’ own, but I think the rigid business atmosphere is not working anymore and some individualism might be what these guys need to relax and play loose ball again.
Jesus people. “Aren’t paying attention…..” Not paying attention is worrying about a tabloid’s headlines. I suppose last year, the “bad” season A-Rod had was a direct result of the Post’s article about his topless sunbathing with HIS WIFE?
Of course this could mean he may already have or now has marital issues to worry about. Of course the guy is a headcase that has shown he’s not all that mentally tough. However, this year so far, he was able to say “WTF” and blow it all off to get off to a hot start. Whether or not that means he has truly grown mentally tougher or not remains to be seen. But lets give this a little more time before we trade him after one tabloid headline.
WAIT! I just read in the National Enquirer that Steinbrenner sold his shares to Larry Luccino of the Boston Red Sox, who has vowed to dismantle the team and sell its parts.
Geez, awful lot of assumptions about what Arod is “dealing with” today.
Attorney’s, wife, etc? Too funny.
How about we wait and see what the real story is, if any exists, before going off on tangents?
“WAIT! I just read in the National Enquirer that Steinbrenner sold his shares to Larry Luccino of the Boston Red Sox, who has vowed to dismantle the team and sell its parts.”
now , we know that’s totally untrue because leaving this yankee team intact would make luccino intensely happy.
Randy, I wish that wasn’t funny, but it is…..
as well as completely depressing..
I just read on Buster Olney’s blog that it is time for the Rangers to trade Teixeira. Any possibility that the Yankees get him. He is a former gold glove winner, and he can swing the bat. And he is young.
Couple of things about the AROD Post thing. Having been to Toronto MANY times they have a very active Papparazzi so it would not suprise me if the article stemmed from a papparazzi selling the photo to the Post not that the Post was there staking him out. I also cant believe that players would not know this in terms of the photographers any time I have been there in recent years they are always there when you arrive and pretty much everywhere you go.
In terms of the hotel actually surprised he is there as that hotel has gone down down down in recent years and the better hotel in town is the Park Hyatt which is right across the street.
SJ one correction the rider for musicians really doesnt not deal with hotel rooms etc unless the promoter is paaying for the rooms. The rider deals with things at the venue, ie dressing rooms, things in the dressing room, food needs etc etc and believe it or not the artist actually pays for their rider (they are actually show costs) thus why often things arevery specific because if they are not as exact as on the rider the artist can argue and not pay for it at settlement time.
i’m waiting to hear what peter a. has to say about this. the beauty of this blog is he’ll be giving it to us straight one way or the other.
when i first started worrying about the yankees management this past winter, the trigger was when stephen swindall was caught in the red light district of st pete. he was supposedly the designated one to take over for george. he was the one in power at the time of his arrest for the dui in a neighborhood he had no business being in. my thought was where was swindall’s focus to let this happen. it sure wasn’t on the yankees. yet he was in charge.
my position is that there is still no one is in charge of the yankees. people like swindal have titles but they are not really in charge of anything because their mind is somewhere else.
roger clemens said to succeed, he has to get his mind right. what that means is focusing on the job at hand to the exclusion of everything else. swindal had his mind elsewhere. if this is true about arod, he had his mind elsewhere. the yankees need an ownership, front office, and players who have their minds right in the sense of focusing on the job at hand which is winning. if they can’t get their minds right in the way clemens does, they gotta go.
it’s as simple as that.
I know a lot of people have been drawing comparisons between this team and the early 90′s teams, but I think a better comparison is the late-80′s teams before the collapse. Those teams were relatively stacked offensively (Willie Randolph, Donny Baseball, Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield, etc) but had sub-par pitching (an aging Guidry, Tommy John, Dennis Rasmussen, etc.)
What sent the Yankees into the early 90′s nose-dive was Steinbrenner firing managers every week because of the losing and forcing trades that depleted the farm system and got back washed-up All-Stars. We can all thank Howie Spira for making sure the Boss wasn’t around to trade DJ, Andy, Mo and Jorge.
Peter – might be interesting to get Mattingly’s take on that. He played through it all.
Also sounds a lot like the mid-60′s – Mickey, Whitey – everyone got old all at once and they went from first to the basement.
That said, I think the Boss might’ve learned his lesson – unless he can get a guy as good or better than Cashman, firing him won’t help the team. If he knew Billy Beane or Atlanta’s old GM could start tomorrow, I think things might be different.
Ok here’s a stretch for you. I wonder if Jeter bears some responsiblity if A Rod is cheating on his wife. I mean A Rod sees Jeter as the carefree playboy and A Rod isn’t supposed to be that anymore. Also if A Rod doesn’t have any close friends ont he team to hang out with, he gets himself a road wife and then he has someone to hang out with. Although a guy on the radio said he saw A Rod with her a few weeks ago at the W hotel so that blows that theory. This cannot end nicely.
WHy does NY eat it’s own? I mean why are the newspaper, tv, and radio people so hard on it’s teams…
check out other cities the media are homers but in NY it is about destroying there own?
I live in LA not exactly like a small city but here the negativity towards it’s teams and players are much ledd then in NY and in smaller cities thruout the US it is even less difficult…..
TO get Texiera the Yanks would have to give up legit young talent; hughes, clippard, type.. I do not do that under any circumstance even though Texiera is a very good and young player……..
Jeff NJ get a brain. What Arod does in his off time is his own decision. Jeter is a unmarried 31 yr old he can do whatever he wants…
And before you find Arod guilty of anything you need to know the facts, the Post is a junk paper..
Also who cares what arod does in his off time it is between him and his wife and none of our business…
Texas is hurting for pitching, right? Think we could get Texeira for one pitching prospect and Eric Duncan?
And I would absolutely leave Hughes (he’s not a prospect anymore, in my mind) off that list, and probably Clippard as well. Maybe they’d take a good but not great prospect instead (Ohlendorf, DeSalvo…?).
**shaking head**
The assumptions and conclusions people draw is comedy at its finest.
Why can’t folks just wait until facts emerge before deciding whose to blame for what?
Stuart is right. No city eats its own like NY.
But, they have a captive audience for it. Just read the conclusions people have already reached in this blog. Its why the Post exists.
This looks pretty bad. Him going to a strip club with another woman looks bad. It just looks bad. You can assume what you want, but looking in from the outside, it looks bad for A-Rod.
Texas is going to give up an all star first baseman for a AAA first baseman (and a bad one at that) hitting .200 and another pitching prospect not named Phil Hughes.
Texas isn’t in the business of helping the Yankees. If they decide to trade a 27 year old all star in the prime of his career, its going to take more than a first round bust and another pitcher.
What Alex does is his business. It isn’t for a “newspaper” to be putting on the front page of the paper. It is a total rag!
So what creative and interesting way will the Yankees find to lose tonight?
I know, SJ, I’m obviously thinking of what would help us and wondering how desperate they are for pitching….
But given their pitching woes, what about 2 solid pitching prospects not named Hughes?
I was including Duncan only so we could get rid of him and because they’ll need a 1B, not sure what their farm is like and meant to include the words “fall for” after “would they…” Sanchez and Duncan for Tex, now we’re talking.
“Texas isn’t in the business of helping the Yankees. If they decide to trade a 27 year old all star in the prime of his career, its going to take more than a first round bust and another pitcher.”
what if we throw in the stripper?
For Arod, the Yankees traded Soriano, plus.
So for Teixeira, not as good of a player but making less money as an All-Star and a Gold Glove winner, it’ll take at least 2 Grade-A prospects, focusing on pitching… you’re probably starting with maybe Clippard, Chamberlain and/or Kennedy, and another positional prospect not named Tabata.
Welcome to Red Sox Century
The prerequisite for understanding this post is required reading of Buster Olney’s prophetic book “Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”.
If you have completed the required reading you will readily understand the recent turnabout in fortunes between the Yankees and Red Sox.
The Yankees spent much of the last century-especially the last decade of it exploiting the free agent market and raping small market teams with their bottomless checkbook while depleting their farm system of all talent in the belief that should any of their prospects prove to be worth having they could readily repurchase them at some later date-ready for primetime.
This slash and burn approach has , inevitably, left the Yanks with a collection of overpayed, largely over the hill veteran stars locked into long term contracts….Juicin’ Giambi would be a posterboy for this phenomenon. A baseball players skills can often decline very rapidly…and in the case of this years Yankee team you have a large portion of the team all declining at the same time. Thus their precipitous and ever so rapid fall from relevance in the standings.
On the other hand the relatively new ownership of the Red Sox prophetically said “we can’t outspend the Yankees but we can outsmart them” -and simply has done so. Remember that the sox still spend 40 million dollars less on payroll than the Bronx Billionaires yet look at the results under new management a World Series title and presently locking up the division before Memorial Day! A good example would be the Damon deal…Boston let an icon go to their archrival because they rightly believed that Damon would not be worth the money in years 3 and 4 of an expensive long term deal…as it turns out Damon has begun to break down in year 2 and is now no longer worth the money. While Crisp has been a disappointment overall…he is only 26 years old -cost a fraction of Damon, and is at the very least packagable in any deal the sox might wish to make down the stretch…people on this board have already mentioned him as part of a possible deal to acquire Ken Griffey, for example.
In short the Red Sox have played “money ball” while having the real money to spend when necessary for essential parts like Dice-K and Beckett. Much of the starting 8 are on tail ends of their contracts with one or two years left which gives the team maximum flexibility when moving personnel. For example, Lowell is in his final year which means they can either resign him, trade him or let him go because Youkilis can replace him at 3B should they decide to get a 1B like Helton or shop the 3B market. The sox have provided themselves with maximum flexibility. Credit for this visionary personnel policy goes largely to GM Theo Epstein who, even the most ardent Yankee fan must admit has completely outmanuvered his peer Brian Cashman.
The Red Sox are a team built for the long term featuring the best starting rotation in the league (3 of which are only in their mid 20′s and Lester will make 4 !) Ample offense on paper perhaps not as potent as NY but more than adequate when supported by their starting rotation and solid pen…which also harbors the new best closer in baseball in Papelbon and the surprise Japanese phenom Okajima (meanwhile the Yanks spent 40 mill plus on Japanese flop Igawa presently collecting a fat paycheck in Tampa while learning how to pitch!) Yet another example of Red Sox front office outsmarting Yanks.
Any attempt to take a truly objective look at the overall condition of both teams would lead even the most casual observer to concede that it will take the Yankees several years to undo the mess they have made for themselves and that the Red Sox are going to be a strong, competitive team for the foreseeable future. Welcome to the RED SOX CENTURY!!
So the question becomes… what would we have to offer that Texas would want and we’d be willing to part with?
It’s a position of weakness for us that would immediately and drastically improve the team and free up a roster spot (Mienky and Phelps go bye bye). Pitching is their biggest weakness, but obviously we have nothing in the Majors we can afford to trade that they’d want (they don’t want old guys with short contracts in return for a young all-star, and we’re not giving them Wang).
Can we even afford to part with pitching prospects they way we keep having to call them all up this year?
“This looks pretty bad. Him going to a strip club with another woman looks bad. It just looks bad. You can assume what you want”
Call me crazy, but I think thats the idea. That people assume what they want.
If Texas isn’t into helping the Yankees, why did they give us A-Rod for Soriano? Why did they keep paying $10million of A-Rod’s salary?
I heard the stripper was just a hooker in drag…so I guess that’s not technically cheating.
People. They have a picture of A-Rod standing outside an elevator behind a woman. Maybe he’s doing something wrong, maybe he’s just getting on a hotel elevator.
the red sux dynasty is damn premature sox fool…
they have endless question marks including becketts durability, lesters effectiveness, papelbons durability, and matsuzaka is not the next koufax..
red sox fans think they are the next dynasty are simply there usual fools…
shill and wake are 40 +, timlin is over, Okajima is 32 and talk to me in 3 months, varitek is 34, manny is 34, etc..
they are not exactly the 27 yanks but continue to delude yourself at your own peril…
just like the sux were better then the Yanks last yr. 6 months ago!!!!!!!!!!!!
They said he was out to dinner with him and 2 other males. So maybe he is just friends with her. everyone automatically jumps to the conclusion that he is cheating with her.
Let’s re-visit the Red Sox in another 80 years or so, okay? If they have then won 25 additional world series titles, I will concede that they are the Dynasty of this particular century. (I should add that I do not see that happening. It is indeed a wonder that the Yankees as an organization have excelled for so long, dips in their cycle notwithstanding.)
**oops her***
Any beat writer would be a fool to comment on the A-Rod pics. Imagine the can of worms that could be opened if all the indiscretions they have witnessed or heard about got reported. They would become persona non grata in any clubhouse. Both A-Rod and the Yankees issued “no comment” on this story yesterday. They would be wise to stick with that.
no yankees,
first of all buster olney spent the first 18 years of his life shoveling cow crap in his family dairy farm in vermont. now he admittedly shovels a simialr thing with expn.
moneyball and being smarter has nothing to do with it. henry is worth 5 billion dollars. he has 4 times the net worth of george. he is not outsmarting george, he is outspending him. the red sox sent over a cashiers check payable immediatley for about 53 million dollars to matsuzaka’s japanese team. that sure was moneyball of them.
the red sox payroll is increasing faster than the yankees. they’ll catch them and pass them.
so i’ll give you that the red sox are going to be a force to reckon with, but not for the reasons you wrote war and peace to explain.
the red sox are a well run organization ,but not in the sense the twins are or oakland are. they are loaded financially and are consciously building a global sports and media brand. the only hope the yankees have is that some serious new york money will rise up and get control of the yankees.
trying to say the red sox did it by being smart is more of that stuff that olney shoveled as a kid.
Stuart, there are certainly Red Sox fans that act like idiots just like there are Yankee fans that act like idiots. I am a Sox fan and I am well aware that there are some question marks about the Sox. I am not predicting that the Sox will be the next dynasty. I am only saying that right now I think most people would say there are more question marks about the Yankees than the Red Sox.
Soon The Yankees will be losing money soon and become bankrupt. Yankees Fans will boycott games and Yankees attendance will suffer. The Redsox will surpassed Yankees in payroll and revenue sharing.
Some posting here need to MYOB. It doesn’t concern you. It concerns his wife. And Hanna Banana why are you bringing another players name into this?
Leave it to the Post for printing such garbage. What’s with them, Strahan, Deluca, great journalism! ::rolls eyes:: What I have a problem is the article is weird it’s like they are stalking him, and why only him? The story doesn’t really give you any facts, just alot of sensationalism. If this is true do you think he’s the only one, the only yankee? Pleassseeeeeee. I feel bad for his wife and daughter cause whether the story is true or not I’m sure this is stressful for them. I will say the woman in the picture has huge arms. :p
Jennifer, all these guys are cheating. The NY media just has it out for AROD. Its sad but as fans its not a case of MYOB because this is clearly something that is having an impact on their record. They are all hound dogs and if you stalk them the way the Post seems to have been stalking AROD, you will find lots of dirt. You never heard about Tino or those guys cheating because they were winning and media darlings. NY hates AROD and now instead of talking about how bad this team, how horrible the manager and GM are…everyone is talking about AROD cheating. Dont you find the timing odd?
Seems like it’s 1965/1981 again and the magic is gone. How long it stays that way is anybodys guess. The time is at hand soon when some of the “old guard” becomes viable for teams who have the possibility of winning this year and in need of puzzle pieces. Can anyone say Cano to Texas for Tex, contngent on him signing on with us. Giambi and whoever to the Angels for Chone(to replace Cano)Texas would bite on this given that Cano has potential and is far enough away from free agency….
Hey, Yankee fans:
This is a big-picture comment.
I’m a Red Sox (and semi-Mariners) fan, living in Seattle.
We true baseball fans don’t want the Yankees to be bad – we want the games to be entertaining, so the Yankees have to be good.
Here is my prescription for your return to power:
1) Mr. Cashman does what Steinbrenner wants. He’s in over his head. And Steinbrenner is obviously getting too old to run things, hands-on. If the Yankees gave someone of the caliber of a Pat Gillick or Billy Beane $200 million to play with, he would bring the team back in the right way, including bringing back a very strong minor league system.
2) Get rid of Torre – the team doesn’t play with any fire – this was particularly noticeable in last year’s playoffs.
3) You probably should lose A-Rod, but whatever. I don’t think anyone paid that much money really helps any team.
BUT MOST IMPORTANT:
The Yankees have become the place where older players go to cash in. The place for Scott Boras to park his most egregiously overpaid “stars”. So players will juice up for their big contract year, then sign up with Boras so they can go get some of that big-time cable money from the Yankees and endorsement money from NYC corporations and ad agencies. Winning is not a part of it, any longer.
That whole system (or model) has to end quick. Giving someone with integrity and smarts like Pat Gillick (or Mr. Minaya) real power would end it very quickly.
Best of luck,
A.T.
Seattle
I agree with many of the other regular LoHud readers. What A-ROD or any other Yankee does legally in their own time is their own business.
As far as rebuiling the team going forward, I would like to see the Yankees get some decent gloves. It would be nice to once in a while not have to win games by mashing the ball. This fact is even more essential when you consider playoff baseball, where runs are a premium.
This is what a Dallas reporter reports what the Sox could offer for Texieria:
Pitcher Jon Lester, Outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Brandon Moss.
These are three A prospects. So for an equal deal, the Yanks would have to give up Clippard, Betances, Kennedy, and/or Chamberlain to land him. That’s a deal breaker.
i’ve heard canadia has great strip clubs (or peeler bars as the canucks say)
what’s the big deal?
Hanna Banana yes it is a case of MYOB. As long as they are not missing games to do their own thing, than “you” should MYOB. It isn’t like when Manny pretended to be sick than was spoted having dinner with Sojo (?) Alex was doing it on his won time. and we don’t even know what “it” is. People let their imaginations run wild.
This website is probably one of the most depressing ones out there right now.
Where do I vote, Pete?
I’m glad to know of Arod’s off the field activity in Toronto. It says he’s not concerned about the Yankees or their fans. Fans care more about winning than many players do. With the demanding games the Yankees are now involved in, this player could’ve had an early night, got some rest and maybe performed well on the field the next day. It’s probably true many players live like this, but the big arguments about Arod no longer hold water: that he’s desperate to be liked, and that he’s never caused the Yankees any off the field embarrassment. These are actions of a cavalier person.
Not for nuthin’ Hanna Banana, but I guess by your logic, there was no hanky panky going on in the 11 past years when the Yankees had a winning record? It only seems to become “our” business when there’s no good news to report from the field.
ray a thoughtful sox fan is nice to see. the yanks definitley have more issues at present then the sox but being on top is very tenuous as you can see.
the sox ? marks include; crisp, drew, and many other issues I am tired of regergitating.
the bottom line is at present manny and ortiz and there great starting pitching has hidden any potential flaws.
on the minor leagues I believe the Yanks minor leagues are much better then the sox and will be for years. I love the yanks young pitching potential, underage latin guys, and new found interest in developing young guys…. This bodes very well for the future as long as steinbrenner stays out…
Susan mullen -
Oh, heck, no matter how I say this it’s gonna sound not how I intend it, but…
Perhaps, showing some human compassion, perhaps a person was trying to relax on his off hours? Relieve a little of the pressure?
I don’t think A-Rod in particular or athletes in general are goody-goodies (though I do tend to run toward naivete according to my family & friends), but let’s not be holier than thou here.
“I’m a Red Sox (and semi-Mariners) fan, living in Seattle.
We true baseball fans…”
sorry, red sox fan and baseball fan are mutually exclusive.
oh please! How many Yankees were back in their hotel room with bimbos other than their wives and girlfriends the same night? A good amount I bet, stop being so naive and stop just picking on Arod. There are worse stories out there about some of the Yankees, it’s not pretty.
sure, the Saux could offer that, but like their lackluster interest in Clemens, they really have no use for Teixiera right now on their current roster. They’ve got Lowell at 3rd and Youk at 1st, with Papi at DH. Who you taking out of the lineup right now to put in Teixiera?
Olney also highlighted the fact that that Teixiera will be a FA after 2008 unless whoever is able to trade for him signs him to an extention, which means right now, organizations are less ready to empty the farm for him.
It may take less than what we all think it might, too. But we’re still talking minimum 2 major pitching prospects instead of 3. For Teixiera, I’d do it as long as they give Cash a window to negotiate an extention.
If the Yankees try to trade A-Rod they will not get anything close in return. In a “bad” year the guy hit 36 HR’s and over 100 RBI’s. Even with his baggage, that is pretty tough to replace, not to mention the fact that you are losing another right handed bat. Yanks need to dump the likes of Giambi and Abreu. I have no idea what you can do about Damon. full-time DH? bc he can’t play the outfield. Who knows about the pitching situation, as anyone looking to trade with the Yankees will ask for one of the young guns. This is a mess that will be difficult to correct in a short period of time
Oh, and that’s IF I jump to the conclusion that something “iffy” was going on. Since I won’t necessarily do that, is it wrong to go for dinner with friends and entertainment after work? Have you never done that, especially after a particular difficult period at work?
Big moves are moves that get done in the off-season. They rarely materialize at the trade deadline.
In the meantime, there are only two things they can do:
1. Play better. Its not a playoff team but, its certainly better than 21-29. The 25 guys on this team have to play better. Period. No dumb errors, wasted AB’s, brain cramps, walking in runs, etc. In other words, the stuff we have seen all year has to end. Almost 8 weeks of horrible baseball. Enough. Not a lot to ask when the owner has shelled out almost 200 million in salaries. These guys have to play better. No excuses.
2. Begin setting up the market for making as many deals as possible at the deadline. They not only should be sellers at the trade deadline, they must be ACTIVE sellers. Right now, they have only five untouchables, perhaps six, on this team. Jeter, Posada, Hughes, Wang and Pettitte and, MAYBE Rivera. Everybody else, should be on the market to gauge interest. If there is interest in anybody else, especially those with no trade clauses, the Yankees should do whatever it takes to make those deals, if it improves the team for next season. Even if it means eating some money.
I would rather see the Yankees have a year or two of “dead money” on the books, than see the likes of some of these underachievers on the roster. At some point, you have to get rid of them, not rehab them.
That would be one way of using their considerable muscle in a smart way.
What has to change is the CULTURE of this team. Its a losing culture and has been since they choked away the 2004 ALCS.
None of these division championships mean a thing. When it matters, the post-season, trying to shake this embarrassing start, this team comes up short, every single time.
Since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, they are 3-10 in the post-season. That should have given all of us a window into seeing that a season on this would be on the horizon.
Its to the point now where they can’t even hit .180 with RISP. Usually, they save that futility for the post-season. Now, its present in the regular season.
That’s why the culture has to change. You change it by getting as many guys out of here as possible and replace them with younger, hungrier players. Players whom you can make winners. Not bringing in career losers, prop them up with a lot of money, and think that makes them winners. As we have seen, it doesn’t work.
Right now, this place is like a glitzy retirement home. Guys living off their past and working off their last, great contracts. Yet, there is no production and, in some cases, no effort.
Its not about being sentimental about any of these guys. Its about doing what’s best for the franchise.
The Yankees don’t owe a single player on this roster a thing. They have never missed a payday, have given them first class accomodations on the road, opportunities to make significant endorsement money, etc.
The Yankees ONLY obligation now is to their fans. Fix this thing before you start losing them. You do that by moving guys out, as many as you can.
Its the only way they can fix this for the future. Its not about saving this season. Its about 2008 and beyond.
Make smart decisions and this is a one year deal. Stay dumb, the futility will last for a long time.
TurnTwo, I’d expect that to be the case for any Tex deal, the negotiating window. Seems to be the trend these days, even Detroit was willing to do it with an old Sheffield.
Yeah, Arod is the only Yankee who goes out on the road and the only Yankee who goes to strip clubs.
Baseball players don’t just stay in their rooms when they are on the road.
For example, ‘ya think Jason Giambi and Derek Jeter are staying in their room every night, eating his Wheaties, reading the Bible, etc?
Come on folks, some of you can’t be that naive.
At least one Yankee (A-Rod) figured out how to score last night in Toronto.
“on the minor leagues I believe the Yanks minor leagues are much better then the sox and will be for years.”
I completely disagree with you on this one. Sox Farm is very good. Jon Lester is going to be the 5th Starter. And Clay Buchholz is a very highly touted prospect. Some say he has much better stuff than Hughee.
That’s really a stretch, Susan Mullen.
I have to ask, how does the world look down here from the saddle of your moral high horse?
It’s lonely at the top, but it’s comforting to look down upon everyone at the bottom, I guess.
I refuse to come to the conclusion that this is not a playoff team. If Cano and Abreu can never hit again (didn’t Cano just have an 11 game hitting streak?) and Damon and Giambi can never get healthy again, maybe. But the pitching is getting there and has 2 Rockets on the way, and the talent is still there.
The team of imposters currently taking up space on the field clearly lacks something, heart, focus, drive…, I don’t know what it is because I’m not on the field or in the clubhouse. But the talent is still there and this team can and should be a playoff team. Whether or not they will be remains to be seen but obviously something has got to be done to wake these clowns up.
I do agree a culture change is needed, and I think Cashman is trying to get that done with the re-stocking the farm and at least trying not to give too much for too long to aging stars. You can say Damon is an example of where he’s failing in that dept, but remember there weren’t many options out there at the time and no-one expected him to break down this quickly (if in fact he is totally breaking down for good).
From AA down, the Yankees system is better than Boston’s.
Marquez, Horne, Whelan, Brett Smith, Kennedy, Wordkemper, Chamberlain, Tabata, Cervelli, Robertson, Hilligoss, and Austin Jackson are all solid prospects at the AA and Class A levels.
Depending on what happens during in the short season leagues (which start shortly), the Yankees may have a couple of more prospects in those divisions.
They have 4 pitchers, Sanchez, Melancon, Garcia, and Cox who are out for the season with injuries that, if healthy, are also good prospects.
Where they are weak is at the AAA level (with a couple of exceptions on the pitching staff) and with position players at the AAA and AA levels.
The Sox have some quality prospects at the AAA level and a couple of their position prospects at AA are pretty good. Their prospects at the lower levels aren’t as good as the Yankees.
Amazing when you consider the Sox started re-emphasizing their farm system two years earlier than the Yankees.
susan So he’s supposed to sit in his hotel room and sulk that the Yankees are losing? He went back to his hotel at 12 midnight. That is not very late. Do you go home and sleep every night at 10 pm? Give me a break.
http://gawker.com/news/stalk-o.....264476.php
Doreen:
I love it when people rip Jeter for keeping a low profile on his private life, like in ST during the Jeter vs. A-Rod controversy, when he said “I’m not talking about my private life.” Now you see why.
I agree with you. We don’t know what happened. Even if it was a case of “BRT” (bimbo relaxation therapy) I’m not in a position to judge A-Rod, considering the rules about who is eligible to cast the first stone. But, combine this A-Rod debacle with the Giambi failed drug test leak (no pun intended), and I’m starting to wonder whether there is a clubhouse rat.
is it possible he is THAT reckless? can’t be right?
if he goes to the Dodgers I want Loney, Russell Martin, and Billingsley (asking too much?)
hey AROD…”There’s a darkness on the edge of town” it’s called the Brass Rail…now divide all $hit in half and send it to Cynthia
Who are the other two guys???
murphydog –
My mind doesn’t even go there (a clubhouse rat). I think it’s the “kick them when they’re down” mentality, especially of tabloids. And I would be willing to bet that since A-Rod was “caught” playing poker that time, he’s been someone who’s followed by nefarious tabloid types. Here’s the thing, if it was an innocent outing with a friend or friends, A-Rod has no reason to be “careful.” If it was something else, then, why take the risk of being seen (not because of us fans, but because of his family).
Cabrera CF S $500K for ’08.
Nick Johnson 1B L Acquired via trade. His remaining
contract is only $11M for 2008-9
($5.5M/yr.), but he’d cost the Yanks
only $250K for ’08, $5.75M total if
they could trade Farnsworth’s $5.25M
for next year which I think they could.
Jeter SS R
Matsui DH L
Posada C S Re-sign for 2 years $24M ($12M/yr.)
Mike Lowell 3B R Sign for a year and $6M.
Cano 2B L $600K for ’08
Kevin Thompson LF R $400K for ’08.
Rookie acquired via trade in RF (R/ L/ S) paid the rookie
minimum $380K.
Cabrera, Johnson, Cano, Thompson & the rookie RF would cost the Yankees only $2.13M, $300K > 2007 Mientkiewicz & Phelps
($1.5M & $600K, respectively) if they could trade Farnsworth. They’d have $7M left over from the $13M they clear buying out then letting go of Abreu after signing Lowell.
Release Giambi and Damon (eat their remaining $52M).
Use the $16M cleared trading Igawa to Japan or wherever, the $16M letting A-Rod walk, the $9M no longer due Jaret Wright, Javier Vasquez, and Randy Johnson, and the $7M left over from the Abreu money cleared after signing Lowell to absorb the loss. $48M cleared used to buy out these overpaid has-been busts. $4M left over. If they could get Pettitte to decline his $16M player’s option and re-sign him for a year and $12M, that’s $4M cleared for ’08 to put towards eating these contracts.
Bench: Jose Molina (backup C), Chris Woodward (backup 2B/3B/
SS), and Darrin Erstad (backup 1B/CF) signed for a
year and a mil each. Kevin Reese is the #4 OF.
I, personally, would be very excited about this team because
it’d be 7/9ths Yankees farm system players, a guy who never played for anyone else in M.L.B. save the Yankees (Matsui), and a rookie RF in the starting nine. Three solid veteran bench players and a serviceable #4 OF. Not one long-term, onerous contract. Not one primadonna, mercenary, or me-guy.
The only older players are Posada and Erstad who are in top shape. Everyone save untouchables Jeter, Posada, and Matsui could be traded or let go of during or after 2008. The only slowpokes are the catchers. I have to think 2008 Cabrera > 2008 Damon, 2008 Johnson > 2007 Mientkiewicz/ Phelps, 2008 Matsui DH > 2008 Giambi DH, and the rookie RF > 2007-8 Abreu. The only problems I could see are Thompson in LF and Lowell at 3B but let’s give Thompson 50 starts in the first 54 games (4 days of rest) and see what he has. If he bats .260 with 5 HR and 25 RBI, I’d be thrilled cuz he’d on pace for .260, 15 HR, 75 RBI which is great for a guy making $400K in his first year as an everyday player who’d be 29 the next year. Thompson can already play solid defense, has an arm, and has speed. Gimme Lowell’s 2006 and I’m happy.
They sign Mark Buerhle for a Wang/ Buerhle/ Hughes/ Pettitte/ Mussina rotation w/ Clemens on standby for June on if needed, they’re division title contenders even with the new, young, cheap guys in the #8 and #9 slots. Who says they can’t trade Thompson, Cabrera, the rookie RF, any 2 or all 3? Ideally at least 2 or all 3 of them play to stay, but if someone’s being traded, you just get back a guy no older than 28.
This whole situation with the Post smearing A-Rod is unbelievable. How have we come to a point where idiots are tailing players and taking pictures to the point where we get a (ahem) blow-by-blow account of A-Rod’s evening.
Did the weasel of a reporter find out what A-Rod ordered for dinner? Is he eating too much steak and not finishing his veggies? Give me a break with this!!!
I’m sure the Post is willing to report the marital track records of all of their employees as well as let camera men follow beat reporters on the road and make sure they are having milk and cookies in their beds at 8 p.m. It is just ridiculous. As long as a player prepares to the best of his ability (A-Rod does) and doesn’t cheat with HGH or ‘roids (A-Rod doesn’t(pls god let that be true)) then I will cheer for him in Pinstripes. He’s not my priest, reverend or rabbi, he’s my 3rd baseman.
Personally, I hope Peter A. sticks to baseball as much as possible and lets the morons and miscreants who rummage through people’s private lives do their own thing.
Yankees future plans for 2008
Hire Jack Mckeon as Bench Coach
Remove Donnie baseball as bench coach and move him back to hitting coach.
Hire Joe Girardi as Manager of the Yankees.
Thats what interests me the most about this, Doreen. You’d be think if he had something to hide, he wouldn’t go anywhere in public at all.
i think the yankees should join up with the mets to make the ultimate new york baseball team, but instead of taking the best players from each team, just take the mets, cuz its the same thing.
Posada, Jeter, Cano, and Matsui are who they are and they’ll be fine.
Nick Johnson w/ Erstad as backup > Mientkiewicz/ Phelps
Lowell Matsui defensively. This is a guy you have to give 50 starts to to see what he has.
Cabrera > Damon
Rookie RF > Abreu. The kid could bat .250 and be better than Abreu cuz he’s making only the rookie minimum $380K doing that, not $15M like 2007 Abreu. If the kid bats .275-.285,
that’s wonderful for what he costs and his age…and he’s under contract with the Yankees through 2013!
It’s time to let some young players show their stuff folks.
See the free agent class for OFs? Jermaine Dye is the ONLY guy I’d consider signing. Forget Ichiro who’ll want the moon for his waning years, no more aging players! Dye is getting there (34) but the nice thing about him is he’d probably take a year and $7M and he’s another guy better than Abreu. Lowell is the best option at 3B.
Nick Johnson is better than any free agent 1B.
asburyboss,
i dont think the dodgers part with Martin, but Loney and Billingsley would almost certainly become available. I’d probably take a look at either Matt Kemp or Johnathan Broxton in that deal, too.
Jermaine Dye is going to have several multi-year offers as a free agent. Why would he take a below average one year deal with the Yankees? Not happening in the real world.
Nick Johnson’s career is in trouble because of his shattered leg. They already have enough guys on the team who play on one leg. They need to add another?
Eat ALL of the rest of Damon and Giambi’s contracts? What world will that work in? Certainly not the Yankees world.
They aren’t eating 52 million dollars in contracts AND going out and spending more money on players.
Tell George he has to do that and he would have two words for you:
“You’re Fired”!
Is it official?
Cashman is in a huge bind right now. With the team floudering, dropping back to 13.5 games, chances are looking slim, if not dire. There are not alot of remaining options for the Yankees. There is an internal battle between the “now” and “future” mentality. Will Cashman remain true to his philosophy, or will Big Stien and the boys from Tampa intervere? The trading market is mediocre, at best. With Giambi and Abreau struggling, their value is at an all time low. Any trade would AT LEAST cost them a top-tier prospect like Hughes or Tabata. No team will give anything to the Yankees unless the return is dramatically better. Would an aquisition even help spark the Yankees? The talent is there, but the will is not.
Thinking ahead, the Yankees will need a power righty bat once A-Rod leaves. But an FA aquistion would only further hurt the farm organization.
I think we can all almost agree that the Yankees are pretty much f*cked. The 2007 season is done, intangibles be damned.
What will they do?
It’s “official” that we’re one of the best teams in baseball, and that our excellent position in the standings is not some kind of aberration. If we assume (for a moment) that current trends hold up and that no serious injuries ruin the season, then yes, we will win the division with just about the best record in the league.
Even IF nothing happens to derail this regular season (and several posters have already pointed out the possibilities in that area), then we still need to win 3 playoff series before the season is “done”. We haven’t seen this team face too many high-pressure, do-or-die situations yet, because they have been rolling along so smoothly. You can bet that if we win the WS, the players and fans will have some tense moments in the postseason on the way there. This team has shown that they have an unbelievable amount of potential, but the jury’s still out on whether they have the guts to come up big when it matters. Heck, if everything’s as great for the Sox and as awful for the Yanks as all that, why didn’t we go into the Bronx and sweep them with 3 blowouts last week? We’re lucky that series didn’t spark the Yanks to start winning more.
With all that said, I like our chances at the moment better than any other team in baseball smile.gif
Meanwhile, the Red Sox record as of now vs. the wild card leader (Tigers) and other two division leaders in the AL (Indians, Angels): 8-1. Um, that’s pretty good. And Lester will be back down the road, and I’m convinced Drew will start hitting soon. I am a little worried about what those teams might do at the trade deadline. If the Angels could use some of their vaunted prospects to get a middle of the order bat (and with Juan Rivera coming back), that would be a scary team, regardless of how well we tend to play against them.
No gloating until the magic number is zero. The Sox are on a roll, the team’s chemistry is outstanding, and there are several players who have yet to break out. Let’s see the team hit a rough spot, though, before we relax.
Schadenfreude has a very long shelf life: it will take decades, maybe centuries, for the Yankees’ misery to become irrelevant. Just think how many basketball fans outside of Boston still get a warm glow when the Celtics lose, whether it’s a game or a lottery. They still get a whiff of Red’s cigar, even 21 years after the last championship.
It’s heart-warming to consider the damage that Cashman could do while he struggles to keep his job. Remember 2002, when lame-duck Dan Duquette took the team down with him by firing Jimy Williams and promoting Joe Kerrigan to his level of incompetence. That was a desperate move by a GM with nothing left to lose. It’s nice to see that Joe is making enemies and influencing people in the Bronx.
Dye, 34 or 35 next year, will get multiyear offers from who?
He’s batting barely above .200. While his power numbers are there (10 HR and 27 RBI), his BA and OBP are red flags. He’s strictly a one year $7M guy at this point. You’re not signing him for 2008-2010/11/12 for what he did in 2005-6 at his age.
If he was so good for a multiyear deal how come the Chi-Sox didn’t extend his contract after his wonderful 2006? He’s making just his clup option $6.75M hence why I said one year and $7M.
Know who you’re talking about next time you come on here.
He’s going to not get multi-year deals because you say so?
You are the same guy who is advocating the Yankees eating over 50 million dollars worth of contracts (using your numerous different blog names), just cutting guys loose for nothing, and wanting Nick Johnson, whose career is in danger of ending because of his broken leg, and you want me to “know what I am talking about”?
Take your own advice. Your post clearly shows you are clueless. You didn’t even have the guts to back it up with your previous blog name. You had to add another to rip me.
Solid work on your part.
Have you even followed free agency in the last year or is your head stuck so far up your butt, you can’t see what’s happening in the game?
The entire sport is awash in cash and teams are spending it.
Don’t look at Dye’s numbers now and project what they will be at the end of the year. Look at his numbers, and his history, at the end of the year, then project how he will be paid.
He will have several 2 and 3 year offers from teams for more than 7 million dollars. He isn’t going to sign a below market deal just because he fits into your little “grand plan”.
Just as the Yankees aren’t eating over 50 million dollars in your fantasy world and getting nothing out of those deals.
I know you find that hard to believe but, anybody who needs 100 blog names to write the drivel you have been writing, then demand others “know what they are talking about” isn’t going to be taken too seriously if you want to talk baseball.
Now, come up with another blog name and post more nonsense so we can all be educated by your “baseball smarts”.
Nick Johnson is better than Doug Mientkiewicz, Josh Phelps, or any of the other stiffs out there on the free agent market. Go to COT’s Baseball Contracts (link on this blog) and check out who’s available. Know who’s available? Sean Casey who’d probably want at least 2 years $8M ($4M/yr., he’s making $3M and I doubt he’d sign on for just a year and $3-4M cuz he’s a 1B, a more valuable commodity than an OF.
I’ll pass and I’d hope you’d pass, too.
Nick has a shattered leg you say? O.K., he’ll be only 29 at the end of this year, legs heal, and it’s only just about June. Dave Winfield missed all of 1989 and he probably had alot more wear and tear on his body than Johnson. Worse-case scenario he joins the Yankees May 2007. D.C. takes on $7M) to unload him (we’re not paying all $11M or even half that and if they decline then o.k. they can go screw) if we give them a decent prospect, we get Nick for 2 years $4M but check this: ya trade Farnsworth’s $5.25M for next year, Johnson costs nothing. If D.C. wants to pay $5.5M (half the contract), Nick costs $5.5M – 5.25M cleared trading Farnsworth = $250K for 2 years. Even if D.C. ate just $2M, we have Nick for 2 years $9M – 5.25M = $3.75M, an average of
$1.5M/yr.
BTW where did I say eat $52M and spend more money? Learn to read cuz nowhere did I say add more money. Signing Jose Molina, Chris Woodward, and Darrin Erstad for the bench for a mil each/ $3M combined, Lowell for a year and $6M (another guy who won’t get 2 or more years even from Boston), starting Kevin Thompson in LF for $400K, and a rookie in RF is “adding salary”. Try REBUILDING FOR THE FUTURE. Lowell is merely a one-year stopgap 3B but I’d re-sign him if he had a
2008 like his 2006. Truth be told I don’t want Dye and/ or Ichiro in the OF. I don’t want Sean Casey at 1B. How can you possibly think Damon and Giambi who are done now, are viable players for 2008? We keep and play them cuz they make a boatload of money? Well so what? Nah-ah, these two have to go. Try to buy them out if possible.
I just outlined how to absorb that money, you’re too lazy to read, that’s not my problem.
Hey numbuts if Dye was soooooo good, how come the Chi-Sox didn’t extend his contract beyond 2006/ last year, his career year (44 HR, 120 RBI) huh? They took his club option for $6.75M. So take your head out of your ass.If I had a guy who posted those numbers, I’d give him 2 more years.
No one’s giving Dye 2 or more years on his 2005 or 2006.
They probably aren’t giving him that on his 2007 which will be so-so at best looking at the projections.
Got news for you: the Yanks aren’t “eating” $52M. Again learn to read:
$13M cleared getting rid of Abreu, really $7M after signing Lowell. They use that stockpile in the minors to get an MLB ready RF. They use $9M no longer paying Jaret, Javier, and RJ. They let A-Rod walk for $16M cleared and trade Igawa who believe it or not would garner interest for another $16M cleared.
$52M – 48M (16M + 16M + 9M + 7M) = $4M eaten.
My “grand little plan”. I didn’t say I wanted Dye, I said he’s the only viable OF I’d sign. Ichiro is in his waning years and would be overpriced, I don’t care how great he was/ is in Seattle. See Damon in Boston.
How can Nick Johnson be “better” than anybody since he isn’t playing?
Do you know the extent of his injury in comparison to Winfield’s or is that not in COT’S?
You are going off reading COT’s as your foundation for this “grand plan”?
How about watching games and seeing what players are doing? That could be helpful to you.
Its wonderful and gratifying that you can read a book. But, that doesn’t make you able to fill out a roster, as we have seen with your “grand plan”.
Kevin Thompson as an everyday player? What have you seen in Kevin Thompson that nobody in baseball has seen that would make him an everyday player?
Kevin Thompson isn’t an everyday player on any team in baseball. He’s a career AAA player whom no one wants. You want him starting in LF for the New York Yankees and you say I don’t know what I am talking about?
You gotta admit, that’s pretty funny.
Now, you are a doctor and you “know” Johnson’s leg is going to heal. What if it doesn’t, which it hasn’t for the past two years? How does he fit into this grand plan, if he can’t play anymore or, can’t play effectively?
Why in the world should the Yankees acquire another guy with a bad leg? It makes no sense.
May be time to tell mommy your computer time is up for the day and give the computer back to the adults.
I may be dating myself here, but does 2007 feel like watching a rerun of 1979???
For those that don’t recall, in 1979 the Yanks fielded a very good team that included a 24 year old 2nd baseman ( Willie Randolph),two 33 year old outfielders named Jackson and Murcer and a 36 year old Tommy John. The ages on that team are very similar to the 2007 team.
Starting with the Cliff Johnson / Goose Gossage dustup in April and culminating with the Thurman Munson tragedy in August, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong all season.
The Yanks finished in 4th place in the AL East and it took 16 years to regain their luster. Here’s hoping that the Steinbrenner family learned by their mistakes and fall in love with former All Stars and sell off the team’s future prospects!
Oh, an internet tough guy. Now, you have me scared.
Yes, Ichiro is very comparable to Johnny Damon. Another pearl of wisdom.
The guy is never hurt, is in the prime of his career, and you deem him “overpriced”.
No, I don’t think I’ll STFU but, thanks for playing.
I meant to say
“Here’s hoping that the Steinbrenner family learned by their mistakes and DON’T fall in love with former All Stars and sell off the team’s future prospects!”
Just a few comments:
Drive 4-5, the Yanks were in the World Series two years after 1979.
And SJ44: stop arguing with that German kid from youtube who fragged his computer. It ain’t worth it.
Jimbo – I appreciate that the Yanks made it to the World Series, but the 1980 -81 teams certainly didn’t have the same cache as the 76-78 teams had.